Water flows down the Oroville Dam spillway in Oroville, Calif., Tuesday, April 2, 2019. California officials opened the flood-control spillway at the nation's tallest dam for the first time since it was rebuilt after it crumbled during heavy rains two years ago.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

OROVILLE, Calif. - The Latest on California officials using a spillway at the nation's tallest dam for the first time in two years and surveying mountain snowpack (all times local):

1:20 p.m.

California officials say the Sierra Nevada snowpack is now 162% of average to date, a measurement that determines the outlook for the state's water supplies.

A measurement on a snowy Tuesday at Phillips Station near Lake Tahoe found a snow depth of 106.5 inches (287 centimetres) and a snow water equivalent of 51 inches (129.5 centimetres).

A snow water equivalent is the depth of water that theoretically would result if the entire snowpack melted instantaneously.

Experts say a very wet winter has left California drought-free for the first time since December 2011.

Phillips Station is where then-Gov. Jerry Brown attended a snowpack survey in April 2015 that found a field barren of any measureable snow during a historic drought. He later ordered California residents to use less water.

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11:20 a.m.

Water is flowing down the rebuilt spillway of the nation's tallest dam for the first time since it crumbled two years ago and threatened to flood California communities.

Live video by the California Department of Parks and Recreation shows a light stream of water flowing down the main spillway Tuesday. It comes as spring storms are expected to swell the lake behind Oroville Dam this week.

Molly White with the state Department of Water Resources says crews may increase how much water is released if needed.

In early 2017, the dam's half-century-old spillway broke apart as it carried heavy flows from storms. That drove nearly 200,000 people from their homes over fears of catastrophic flooding.

Officials say the rebuilt spillway was "designed and constructed using 21st century engineering practices."

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9:55 a.m.

California officials say they will start letting water out of the nation's tallest dam into the newly-rebuilt spillway Tuesday for the first time in two years.

The spillway crumbled in February 2017 as water was being released, prompting 200,000 downstream residents to flee their homes over fears of catastrophic flooding.

Molly White, principal engineer with the California Department of Water Resources, says crews will start releasing 8,300 cubic feet per second at 11 a.m. Tuesday. She says they may increase the water release to 20,000 cubic feet per second.

White says the water releases may be increased during the week as spring storms continue to feed the enormous reservoir behind Oroville Dam in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

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12:00 a.m.

Water will rush down the main spillway at the nation's tallest dam for the first time since it crumbled in heavy rain two years ago and threatened to flood California communities.

The state Department of Water Resources anticipates releasing water down the spillway at Oroville Dam as early as Tuesday due to stormy weather.

The spring storms follow a very wet winter that coated the mountains with thick snowpack. State experts will coincidentally measure the snowpack Tuesday to determine the outlook for California's water supplies.

In early 2017, the dam's half-century-old spillway broke apart as it carried heavy flows from storms. That drove nearly 200,000 people from their homes over fears of catastrophic flooding.

Rebuilding the massive spillway and other repairs have cost $1.1 billion.

News from © The Associated Press, 2019